


Refraction

by bees_honey



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2017-12-20 18:30:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 3,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bees_honey/pseuds/bees_honey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Betas can't mate with Omegas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lestrade arrives at the scene

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone care to beta future chapters?

The smell of blood was pungent. They hadn’t cleaned him up. He wouldn’t let them near enough. Parts of his flesh were stained red and his shirt looked like a bad Pollock painting. Lestrade sighed, rubbing his eyes with his palm. He walked up slowly to the omega, one of his best mates and squatted.

“John, you have to tell us where Sherlock is. After what he’s done to you.” Lestrade's voice wavered, “He doesn’t deserve your loyalty. Not anymore.” 

If John had heard him he made no movement to indicate it.

Lestrade looked behind John, an Omega Specialist - Hanzel was walking towards them. Like all agency men he looked a bit like a Nazi. His suit was cut at sharp angles, and blended into the night sky. Lestrade motioned for him to stop. “John, they have a specialist here. I know you don’t want to deal with that right now and if you just talk to me you won’t have to.” There was no response. Standing up Lestrade motioned for Hanzel to come forward. He then watched at a distance as John,clothed only in an orange shock blanket, was loaded into the ambulance. 

Lestrade went inside where he heard of Ms. Hudson give her testimony between tears. “It must be a mistake. Sherlock would never do anything like that. And not to poor John.” He paused for a moment, hoping to catch some of Ms. Hudson’s faith in Sherlock Holmes and he continued on.

The place was in total disarray. There were splatter lines of John’s blood across the walls and floors. A torn jumper had been thrown behind the sofa. A ripped in half pair of pants were in the middle of the room along with pillow stuffing, flannels and a tattered quilt. Three scents filled the air, Omega, Beta and Alpha. 

“Dear God it really happened”


	2. Chapter 2

John was rushed to the Omega hospital. Once there he was given a blood transfusion and a ‘cleaning’ solution meant to wash away any bonding pheromones. But much to Hanzel’s chagrin the effort was futile John had bonded to the Beta.

It was illegal for a reason. There could be no children from the union. The declining population just lost another womb. 

So the time of being kind was over. He pulled up a chair next to John’s bed. The Omega still hadn’t said anything. He was in shock, the blood loss had been substantial and there had been no standby in the bonding process. No one to bring in a medical kit. No one to stop the Beta high on Alpha hormones from biting too deep. Hanzel had looked over John personally. There were no signs that he had fought off the Beta. That made him an accomplice. Yes, the time for kindness was over.


	3. Chapter 3

Sherlock was washed with agony as he saw John wheeled away by the Omega Police. He let out a muffled scream of frustration and kicked the nearby brick wall. He had make a mistake. He had forgotten the power, the frenzy of hormones and what they could do to him.

Files he had deleted a long time ago came flooding back into his hard drive. Victor.

It was a long lost relationship. His first love. His first loss. 

“It’s not like you could have given him what he needed.”

This time Sherlock screamed out loud and began to battle with the wall. Letting it absorb his frustrations, his weaknesses. When he was done his fists were a bloody mass of cuts, his breath was ragged, and his body exhausted. But his mind. Oh his mind was alive and well. Fully capable, logical, and running without the blasted Alpha hormones he hated so much.

He took a step back from the wall.  
He needed to get to John and explain.


	4. Chapter 4

Lestrade smiled in victory. He knew there had to be a false bottom to the bed. It was the only bit of furniture left unmolested by his team. After 20 minutes he finally heard the click and a board slid showing a small compartment. Upon searching the space however Lestrade realized he had once again been foolish. As yet another letter was found.  
\--  
Hello Mycroft, possibly John, and improbably Lestrade,  
Once again I must express my frustration. i have been clean for going on 15 months and there is no need for you to search through my things. That being said please return everything exactly as you found it.   
Yours,  
Sherlock Holmes.  
\--  
At least this letter had been polite. Probably because there was a chance John might find it. The other four they had found had been less pleasant. Lestrade smiled memory of Anderson finding one in the sugar container.  
\--  
Anderson,  
Only a moron like you could believe I would hide drugs in such an obvious location.  
Piss off,  
Sherlock Holmes  
\--  
But the joy of the memory quickly faded as he went back to search for evidence of Alpha hormone drugs. His team had now been searching for well over four hours. They hadn’t found anything. No pills, no needles, not even a patch. 

It didn’t make sense. In the frenzy even Sherlock Holmes wouldn’t be cerebral enough to ditch the evidence. It had to still be somewhere in this apartment.

He sighed and not for the first time that night found himself trying to grasp the enormity of the situation. Sherlock had forced bonded John. Had hurt John. 

Sherlock had raped John.


	5. Chapter 5

“Where did Sherlock get the hormones?” Hanzel asked again, more forcefully than the last time.

John’s voice was hoarse from all the screaming he’d done earlier that night, “Charge me with a crime or let me go home.”

“Your home is a crime scene. Sherlock committed a crime and your lack of defensive wounds indicate that you were complacent in the activities.” Hanzel replied his tone even. “Now where did Sherlock get the Alpha hormones.”

“Charge me or let me go home.” John winced as the last syllable passed weakly from his mouth.

“Beta’s are not allowed to mate with Omegas. Even older Omegas.” Hanzel began. “We have the population to think about.”

John did his best to stare him down.

“But you and your friend don’t care much for laws. Not the laws of the crown, not even the laws of nature. But then you found a way around the laws of nature didn’t you?”

“Charge me or---

“You will be charged with illegally obtaining Alpha hormones, administering them to a Beta in outrageous amount, and then attempting to form an Beta/Omega bond.” Hanzel snapped and then smiled. “But the rumors are false. Such an act doesn’t bond you with a Beta but to a scent of a test Alpha probably long since dead.” Hanzel straightened his tie. “I must ask if you are happy with that? Happy with being bonded to a phantom?”

“I’m not.” John rasped. Then he fell silent again.


	6. Chapter 6

Sherlock ran. Faster than he ever had in the past, the hormones flooding his system. His senses were in overdrive from the mixture of Alpha hormones and adrenaline. Colors of the street lamps were brighter- blinding, sounds of the traffic were sharper-overwhelming, the fabric of his cloths scraped his skin, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth had subtle undertones marking it as uniquely John’s. It was near maddening.

His mind whirled. He would be lost if he didn’t have his focus. John. He had to get to John.

It was his fault.

He had panicked when he saw all blood. He had practically screamed at John but only received mumbled responses. He had ran to get water but John was so far gone he would not drink.

Stumbling Sherlock pulled on his cloths and called the police. 

He had waited by John’s side until he heard the sirens and then escaped through the window.

All to save himself.


	7. Chapter 7

The plank that was the false bottom of the bed seemed off. Lestrade could not place why but something about it seem odd. The wood was cheap but the plank felt heavy. Going on a gut feeling Greg cracked the board over his knee. It splintered and syringes clattered to the floor. He’d found them, the evidence. Lestrade’s heart felt burdensome in his chest. 

Anderson came bouncing over. “So that’s that.” He picked up a syringe filled with fluid. “Sherlock worried about being alone forever goes to his dealer, gets the Alpha Hormones. Injects himself. Rapes John. John screams for help, someone calls the police and Sherlock flees the scene.” Anderson looks around cockily, a satisfied grin on his face having figured out the crime scene.

Lestrade shifted his feet looking at the syringes on the floor. “Get the lab kit.”

Anderson started, “Surely we don’t have the time. Sherlock is out there.” he gestured to the street, “Filled with artificial hormones doing god knows what.”

“It is a four minute test. Get the kit.”

Anderson left in a huff and quickly returned. He filled up the six test vials and squirted a drop of the liquid in each. 

Greg waited, his face hardened and then as the liquid in the vials turned colors his expression turned puzzled. “It’s not Alpha hormones. It’s illegal hormone suppressant.”


	8. Chapter 8

Hanzel relented after two hours of questioning. Even in a weakened state from blood loss and bonding the Omega would not give up the Beta. 

Hanzel started writing up the report including the paperwork that would hold John indefinitely until he at least named the Beta. The law was unpopular but Hanzel found it essential to his work. After a week of being separated from their Bonded most Omegas began to talk, few made it past two weeks and in his entire career no one made it a full month. This John Watson seemed a hard one though. He may make it a full three weeks. Hanzel smiled at the thought, it was always interesting to see how long it took and then how badly an Omega would break. 

A loud clatter rose Hanzel from his thoughts. It was coming from the Omega’s hold room. Several people were rushing towards the sound. Hanzel sighed, straightened his tie and calmly began walking down the corridor. The sight before him was unsurprising. The Omega was held a small scalpel at a young nurse’s neck. 

“Stand Back!” he yelled at the approaching crowd. No one did. The new personal hesitated until they saw their superiors continue running unabated. The Omega eyes widened at the lack of caution. When they got close enough he flung the nurse at them and then tried to slide against the wall to get past the men. But this was hardly the first attempt at a breakout and the staff had seen this maneuver before. Watson was tackled and bound with new restraints in a blur of movement. 

Hanzel turned and began to stroll back to his office when he heard a loud gasp behind him. Before he could turn back he found himself pushed up against a wall. A scalpel was cutting into his throat. He was thrown around to face the crowd of men, several of which were still picking themselves from the ground. 

“Impressive Mr. Watson” He said.

The blade went in deeper. "Ta. And it's Mr. Holmes-Watson.


	9. Chapter 9

Sherlock look up at what could only be described and a guarded tower. Its black stonework and menacing appearance sent along a message: “Stay Out”. But it was a message that Sherlock had every intention of ignoring. For within those walls was John. Injured and hurt (in probably more ways than Sherlock could fathom). 

The insides would probably be a maze. Likelihood of finding John before capture 78%, likelihood of getting both of them back out 35%. Odds if he attempted it tonight when the guard surrounding John was still high, 12%. Chance that Sherlock was going to wait long enough for the guard to go down, 0%. 

Sherlock began surveying the workers. Looking for a new recruit, people would barely recognize their faces and the name would be vaguely familiar enough to allow him to enter. It took all of ten minutes for a baby faced, new recruit to pass by with a shiny new badge on his chest. Poor sod had no idea what hit him.

Sherlock looked over the badge as he pulled up the uniform pants, an inch too short, he was getting sloppy. The guard’s name was Walter Hanzel Jr. Sherlock’s mind whirled. What were the odds of Walter Hanzel Sr. working there. There wouldn’t be a need to distinguish the two if only one worked in the building. What were the odds of running into one person in a building of easily 500. The father would be high up if he got his son a job. Or were they both guardsmen? The guard stirred beneath Sherlock. He should have waited until tomorrow. He should have looked at the badge before striking the guard. He should stop take a moment and proceed logically.

Sherlock straighten the uniform trying to cover up the inch gap between the trouser leg and his shoes. Logic was not in play here.


	10. Chapter 10

Lestrade smiled as his siren blasted through the air. He was racing to where John and no doubt Sherlock would be, Tower of Omega Affairs. It was sweet really. Stupid and sweet. Not for the first time he began giggling like a schoolgirl at the thought. “John and Sherlock sitting in a tree” he mused, “Had to do things differently.” Nope they couldn’t be conventional. Nothing could be conventional as far as Sherlock was concerned. Oh well. It will hopefully be sorted out by morning so long as neither did anything stupid. More stupid. He huffed while still grinning. 

There was a reason there were seconds when you bonded. Things get out of control, a bite goes too deep, the events go on too long and people dehydrate. Only teenagers were dumb enough to bond without a second. Teenagers, romantics and those with secrets. While Lestrade knew they fell under the last category he also suspected there was a bit of a romantic streak there too.

John the poor bastard, Sherlock the lucky bastard. Lestrade chuckled at his own joke. He was in good spirits. A weight had been lifted off, the horribleness of the night was over. That is it was until he spotted the guardsmen slowly shaking himself awake on the pavement. 

“Damn it Sherlock.” He swore hitting the steering wheel with his palm.


	11. Chapter 11

John walked backward confidently. He realized his mistake for earlier. The men had correctly guessed that he would not harm an innocent nurse. But as they saw the blood drip from Hanzel’s neck they realized that he could and would hurt the man. John turn so that his back was to the wall so that no one could sneak up behind him. To his right a woman started to speak, probably the clinic’s psychologist. Her voice was cloying. 

“Omega,” she cooed. “We know it wasn’t your fault. We know it was the Beta’s idea to get the hormones. Poor thing you probably didn’t even know what was happening until it was too late. Now he is gone, but we’re here. Believe it or not we are here to help you. Isn’t that grand? All these people here to help you?”

John snorted.“You’ve got to be fucking kidding.” 

“Alright,” the woman quickly changed tones, “You don’t want our help. That is fine. You may not even believe that we are here to help, but we are. That man you are holding hostage is a father of five, and he is here late at night, to help you. Feel the blood on your hand Omega? That is the blood of someone who only wants to help you.”

“Help me by letting me go home.”

“You know that is not how this will end. You currently do not have a home. Your Beta took illegal hormones and now you are bonded to the genetically engineered scent of a person who will never exist.”

All this while John had been inching carefully down the hallway. He had finally reached the security doors. “Open it.” his voice was low and dangerous. 

A card appeared from the woman’s coat and it was quickly swiped, opening the door. John planned his movements exactly and managed to get Hanzel and himself through the doorway.

Sweat was pouring off his brow but he was unable to wipe it away. 

“John,” the woman called, “The next door opens you up to the entire building and once you pass through that’s it. There will be no forgiveness, no leniency. You will be prosecuted.”

John opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the door behind him opening up. A bloodied and battered Sherlock was hustled through it along with two armed guard (with matching black eyes). 

“Omega,” said the guard on the left through a cracked lip. “I greatly encourage you to let Mr. Hanzel go.” He placed his taser to Sherlock’s neck. “Now.”


	12. Chapter 12

He had been stupid. His plan was not thought out, he did not know the building and he hadn’t taken several factors into account. Like the fact that John may have recovered and been staging his own escape. 

He looked down at the two foot gap between himself and his bonded. Sherlock could feel his biology pulling at him to claim his Omega yet again. To fuck the stink of this place off of his body. 

Two prongs dug into his flesh reminding him of his predicament and again of his foolishness. “John” he rasped. “I am so sorry.”

“Quiet!” commanded the guard who would now walk with a permanent limp. 

“No. Let him speak I want some answers.” replied John.

“You are hardly in a place to negotiate Omega.”

“Do you know what will happen if I twist this scalpel? I think you underestimate me and how thoroughly pissed off I am!” John’s voice rose as he spoke ending in a scream. Several doctors and guards took a step back.

“Now Sherlock what the hell happened, who called the police?”

“I did” Sherlock weakly replied. 

“For the love of Christ why?”

“There was so much blood, you wouldn’t respond. I called them to save you.”  
John started to giggle. “You total and complete moron.” 

At hearing the laughter the doctors and guards began to move in. “Oi Back OFF!” shouted John.

“Sherlock we don’t have much time. Tell them the truth and they will let us go.”

Sherlock’s head bobbed in agreement. “I am an Alpha, I am his Alpha. I have been living illegally as a Beta for years. I can show you the legal suppressants I have been using for well over a decade.”

John loosened his grip on the scalpel ever so slightly. But as it turned out too soon. Hanzel twisted away nicking his own artery. Immediately the taser turned on and Sherlock’s long body pooled to the floor. Three men jumped on John and two more rushed to aid their colleague. 

“No! No! Listen!” John started, but was not able to finish as he felt a sharp prick on the back of his neck. His vision swirled, and he began to hear the blood pumping through his body above all else.


	13. Chapter 13

“You’re both idiots.” Lestrade said in kind even tones of affection.  
He knew that both of them could hear him even if they were just waking up. John had opened his eyes several times but shut them rapidly to block out what must be a blinding light. Sherlock kept moving his head back and forth across the pillow like he was swimming and turning to the side to breathe.   
Lestrade smiled. What total idiots, they deserve each other.  
He then settled in his seat between the two lovers and waited for them to both properly wake up so he could yell at them.  
Time passed slowly but eventually both John and Sherlock were up and in control of their faculties. Both had been given water and checked over by a nurse.  
“So,” started Lestrade, “Where to begin.” He stood up and began pacing the room, looking as authoritative as he could. “You” he pointed at Sherlock accusingly, “have illegally been masquerading as a Beta for years. Is there any reason why?”  
“No one bothers a Beta.” Sherlock replied, his voice horse and ragged.  
“No one bothers a Beta” Lestrade repeated trying the response out on his tongue. That was going to look great on a report. Subject illegally and dangerously administered suppressants so he would not be bothered.   
“Then you go off the hormones. Why?”  
Sherlock looked down embarrassed, “To bond with John.”  
“To bond with John.” Lestrade smiled and then turned to John. “John did you want to bond with Sherlock.”  
“Yes.”  
“Good, not that it matters with the law the way it is but good.” Lestrade breathed out, “So you a learned Doctor allowed someone to go off his drugs (illegal through they were) –  
“You already mentioned that.”  
“And I shall continue to do so Sherlock. But back to John. You let someone go off of their illegal drugs and bond with you?”  
“I told him to taper off.” John groaned.   
“So Sherlock stops his illegal hormones. You two bond, someone calls the cops-  
“I called them.”  
“You what?” Lestrade sputters.  
“I panicked. I saw all the blood, John wouldn’t respond…”  
“He’s a moron.” John chimed in. “Who blocks out the most elemental knowledge of bonding.”  
“How is not responding normal?”  
“Because, you moron, my body was going through a change on a cellular level to for a bond. I was only in danger when you left!” John grabbed the side of his head in pain.   
Sherlock noticing his mate in pain went over to his bedside and slipped into the sheets next to John.   
“It wasn’t vital knowledge until you.”  
“I know.” John said resigned. “Just stay close for a while. The bond is still forming.”  
“Yes, time for me to go. Let you two have your moment.” Lestrade smiled and the two entwined in each other’s arms.   
“So Sherlock is an Alpha,” Lestrade mused “Thank God.” Nearly everything that had happened would be forgiven and forgotten. Hanzel will no doubt try to press charges but it would come to nothing. Getting between a new bonded pair was illegal and the Alpha/Omega had every right to defend themselves and their bond.   
He left the building with a smile… until a horrid idea came to him. Sherlock and John could breed. His mind filled with the idea of 5 little Sherlocks running around with magnifying glasses and attitudes.  
Perhaps he should look into retirement again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took too long. I also really hate the ending. I was trying to make it better but nothing came out. It anyone wants to create a better ending please do.


End file.
